Dear Author » Laurell-K-Hamilton

What John’s Been Reading, Week of August 30th

John — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 17:00:58 +0000

This past week was a blur of family vacationing and getting ready for school. I just had my first day today as well, so my reading is already taking a toll with my energy. High school throws punches like that. My reading is going to hopefully continue at a semi-similar pace, and I’m going to be attempting to keep up more with reviews once I get organized. These were the books I read during the last week or two of summer.

Waiting to Exhale by Terry McMillan

This was one of those books that I’ve picked up in my yard-sale searches (which are the main way I find romances anymore.) I heard good things, and the author blurbed Ernessa T. Carter’s 32 Candles, which I loved. It ended up being a read that I really enjoyed. It’s set in the 90′s, so it deals with a lot of current issues of the time, and the commentary on male/female relationships and black male/black female relationships in particular was interesting.

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List by David Levithan and Rachel Cohen

Love David Levithan. Love his first collaboration with Cohen, which is Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Was disappointed in this book. There was some nice usage of complex relationships and fluid teen sexuality, but it all got bogged down by a lot of narrator hopping that made all of the problems (Ely and Naomi’s friendship, Naomi’s love for the gay Ely, Ely’s boyfriend’s image issues, ect.) feel like they were resolved too quickly. Not to mention it strained credibility when it wasn’t just two but six or more protagonists that were speaking in incredibly observant narration for a teen mind.

Guily Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

I shouldn’t have read this one, but I did. It was fun, but there was some repetitive language that was noticeable and a lack of focus in the middle. I have made it a goal to see how far I can go into Hamilton’s series without throwing in the towel. Anita was already sexually charged in a subtle way, so I’m looking forward to seeing how that changes. Even if it’s for the worst.

Arise by Tara Hudson

A sequel to the YA PNR Hereafter that came out this summer. I was asked to look over the manuscript. I enjoyed the first book but felt it had a lack of oomph to the drama it would realistically show. This one had some pacing problems in the first third, but it showed a lot more of the drama that would go on. Not for everyone, but if you like YA PNR like I do, you’d find the series pleasant.

Vixen by Jillian Larkin

This one felt like a meeting of the Private series with the 1920′s flapper fad. It totally worked, too. There’s a lot of drama and angst involved, but I love this setting. All of the flapper outfits and attitude is fun to read about. The pacing was a little slow for my taste. It satisfied my historical fiction urge and gave me some brain candy to work with.

Vacations from Hell – anthology

This I picked up as another breather book. Five short stories of amusing but limited entertainment. Claudia Gray and Sarah Mylnowski balanced out the best. Libba Bray and Maureen Johnson had good ideas but needed more room to work with them. Cassandra Clare pretty much wrote a whole lot of nothing. I’ve found Clare’s short stories cannot even go into amusing territory for me, and I was annoyed by some factual errors. About video games. From the past few years! Kingdom Hearts 2 is primarily if not completely a signal player game, and it is not on the Xbox. (I am a gamer on the side, if you couldn’t tell.)

Safe Harbor by Christine Feehan

Feehan is a guilty pleasure. I forget about her books soon after I read them, and the romance is primarily the same thing over and over again. Her males border on far-too-alpha at times, and her females always end up retiring to be alone with the kiddies. I find her writing fun if overly descriptive, and Safe Harbor was at least a fun addition to the series. I’d read Dangerous Tides and hated the hero and his romance with the heroine. I think I’ll have better luck with the Carpathians in the future.

His Wife for One Night by Molly O’Keefe

The author sent this when I mentioned I was looking into trying Harlequin Superromance. I found the main couple to have a good chemistry, and I liked the idea behind it quite well. The lack of interaction between them in the first half and the lack of clarity on some issues from their past and present made it difficult for me to love the book, but I read through it quickly and enjoyed it.

I also read a few books for school like O Pioneers!, Ethan Frome, and The Awakening. I found them good reads, but I had problems fundamentally with The Awakening and O Pioneers. I have a few books I’m going to read over the next few days as well, or that I’m reading right now.

The Mephisto Covenant by Trinity Faegen

This is one that is fun to read, but the fundamentals of the text are ridunkulous. The book starts out that way without easing you in, and it has yet to stop. I’m on page fifty and can already tell it’s pretty similar to Twilight and the BDB books. (Seriously. The group of guys/warriors called the Lumina all wear leather and have mated-trope things with this other race and it’s…yeah.)

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles

I’m going to be reading this while I read Mephisto. It seems to be pretty short, and I have an essay on it that is due in a few days. Yes, I procrastinated over the summer. At least I picked the play for last.

Where Demons Fear to Tread by Stephanie Chong

Picked this up hearing mixed things. I’m a sucker for angel books (see Mephisto), so I’m hoping that I’ll like the read. If not the romance. My experience with MIRA books has been conflicted, but I will deal with a lot of crap to read about angels. Probably too much crap, but it’s worth a shot.

Tuesday Midday Links: Rumble in the jungle

Jane — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:00:21 +0000

A reader emailed me this morning to apprise me of a feud which erupted between Laurell K Hamilton fans and PC Cast fans taking place primarily on the two facebook profiles of the authors. Apparently in Awakened, a YA book by PC Cast, one character makes a dig Anita Blake and Laurell K Hamilton:

Im pissed! Just finished P.C Casts Awakeing house of night series one that i liked untill this book on pg 203 when they not only diss Anita but also diss Miss Hamillton. "whos anita blake?" stevie rae askes "vampire killer chick written by a human chick who has a Totally Tragic fashion sense" Pissed me OFf

and LKH responded with:

Thanks everyone who told me that I get slammed in the P. C. Cast book. I would never have known since I don’t read them. Apparently, they do read me, so thanks for that. The duo who are P. C. Cast are quite mainstream in their fashion sense. Not surprised they don’t like mine. I would never, ever criticize another writ…er in my own books, let alone their personal appearance. When did being nice go out of fashion?

Fans of LKH went over to the PC Cast facebook page and started hurling insults, enough so that LKH felt compelled to post this:

Thanks to everyone who defended my honor with the slightly snarky mention of me in the P. C. Cast book, but guys, my point was – be nice. In your zeal to defend me, some of you have been mean & said far worse things to, & about the duo that writes as P.C.Cast. Please, don’t. No one else’s bad behavior gives you the ri…ght to behave badly, too. You can disagree, but mean makes everyone stop listening to your point.

I think this is the first author kerfluffle of 2011. LKH is no angel. She’s slung quite a bit of crap on her own blog at other writers. She opens herself up to criticism of a personal kind by inserting herself and her sexual experiences into her books. She is encouraging her readers to defend her. That said, do you think PC Cast went over the line by insulting LKH personally in the book? Or is this all in good fun?

***

The Kindle for iPhone App was upgraded yesterday to allow sideloading of ebooks (mobi worked for me) via the iTunes program (detailed here) or by simply emailing yourself the file and using the “Open in” feature. Kindle has also released an App for Windows Mobile.

***

A literary agent from a prestigious agenting firm has opened her own self publishing, author services house. Leila Dewji, age 27, left Sheil Land Associates (who represents authors like Diane Setterfield), to form Acorn Independent Press Ltd. with her brother. From the description, it sounds more like a vanity or subsidiary publishing firm rather than a self publishing firm. Or what Thomas Nelson and Harlequin offer through Author House.

Acorn Independent Press Ltd. offers premium self-publishing services for authors who want to launch in a big way; with fantastic editorial, design and production services as well as sales and marketing services to get books reviewed and stocked. Acorn produce beautiful books and e-books which they put in to international wholesale and distribution channels to reach readers all over the world.

This follows Curtis Brown Agency launching a writing school. I suspect we will see more and more agents offering publishing services. Publishing organizations will continue to struggle with defining the term “published author.”

***

The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selection for the 2011 Reading List.

The Reading List annually recognizes the best books in eight genres: adrenaline (including suspense, thriller and adventure), fantasy, historical fiction, horror, mystery, romance, science fiction and women's fiction. This year's list includes novels that will please die-hard fans as well as introduce new readers to the pleasures of genre fiction.

For romance:

Romance

"A Matter of Class" by Mary Balogh, Vanguard Press (9781593155544)

A lady is ruined. A merchant's son is trapped. Class differences loom large in this charming and playful take on the arranged marriage. Balogh's Regency gem, where nothing is quite as it seems, is filled with affection and wit.

Read-Alikes:

"Faro's Daughter" by Georgette Heyer

"In for a Penny" by Rose Lerner

"The Viscount Who Loved Me" by Julia Quinn

Short List:

"Barely a Lady" by Eileen Dreyer, Hachette (Forever) (9780446542081)

"The Forbidden Rose" by Joanna Bourne, Berkley (9780425235614

"The Iron Duke" by Meljean Brook, Berkley (9780425236673)

"Something About You" by Julie James, Berkley Sensation (9780425233382)

According to YoungLibrarian, the short list are the runners up and the “read alikes” is a list of books that are similar to the winning book.

***

A teen blogger writes about her interest in an upcoming new line from St. Martin’s Press that is targeted at older teens and actual young adults. (YA line is targeted to 12 years and older or 9th grade and up).

I’m sixteen, in case you’re wondering.

That doesn’t stop me from wanting to read about characters older than 18. I’d sure as heck love to go into the Young Adult section and pick up a book about a college freshman adjusting to their new life of freedom, stumbling around a huge campus, fighting with their roomate, and groaning about cafeteria food and being a poor student. I’d sure as heck love to read a book about a protagonist that sets off on an adventure after they graduate from high school, or who’s just taken up training as a cop or joined the army or taken a job you can’t do while still in school. I’d love it to bits if anyone wrote a book about a college junior’s experience as a study abroad student.

St. Martin’s new line is called “New Adult” and is described thusly:

“…[n]ew, cutting edge fiction with protagonists who are slightly older than YA and can appeal to an adult audience. Since twenty-somethings are devouring YA, St. Martin's Press is seeking fiction similar to YA that can be published and marketed as adult-’a sort of an "older YA" or "new adult."

***

Publishers Weekly reports that publishers saw huge increases in ebooks sales over the holidays.

imon & Schuster reported a 150% jump in e-book sales for this holiday over the same period last year. Random House reported an impressive 300% leap, and Kensington said its e-book sales for this holiday season climbed a whopping 400% over 2009. Here is a compilation of publishers’ top five bestselling e-books (in descending order) for December 25 and 26.

The top selling title for Kensington was His Conquest by Diana Cosby. At $3.79, I’m going to have to buy it myself.

***

Monday Midday Links: Mockingjay Embargo Broken

Jane — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:19:02 +0000

There is something about Amazon that brings out the crazy in everyone. First up is some Western author who won some award for the only book he has for sale at Amazon criticizing Susanna Fraser for daring to have a book with the SAME TITLE! I know, egregious isn’t it?

I’m very aware that book titles are not copywriteable, but it’s a pretty dumb idea to use the exact same book title that a better known author has used recently. Do some homework next time, please, for your copycatting here is just going to cause confusion for both of our reader groups. Miles Swarthout

As someone in the comment thread pointed out, it is unlikely historical romance readers are going to look at a Western book with the same name and go, “gosh, is this book about Regency England” and be confused.

****

The other Amazon dustup is more epic and needs a bit more set up. First, Laurell K Hamilton (I know! we already know it is epic because it involves LKH), writes a blog post wherein she is awesome and everyone else is a faker. The gist of LKH’s post is this. She is a method writer. Her characters are her imaginary friends (and sometimes real people in her life aka her ex husband as Richard). Her characters speak to her. She feels for them. She is empathetic with them (not just sympathetic). When they bleed, she bleeds. Other writers who don’t feel this connection? Just aren’t good enough

Some very successful writers don't seem to feel that emotional connection to their work, or at least not to the degree I do. I used to envy them until I realized the price of that cool distance. They write like they feel with less depth, less of themselves on the page. It is a safer way to write, less frightening, less hurtful, less pain for the writer, but the writing shows that. I can read most other writers and tell you within a few pages which of them "feels" strongly when they write and which do not. Now, some can fake it better than others, but in the end it is a fake. They don't believe in their own work, their own world, their own characters. They know that the skin of let's pretend is there, always, they never let themselves sink past a certain point, or perhaps their world, their muse, their imagination is more shallow than mine. Maybe there are no painful depths to explore and they just spend their careers wading through the shallows because no matter how wide the water looks, it's just a wading pool with no unexpected holes to swallow the writer up, and drown them in the dark water of their own minds.

I'm one of the few writers that routinely calls my characters, imaginary friends

Jennifer Armintrout calls BS.

For an author who strenuously objects (or at least makes a big show of objecting) to being asked if aspects of her writing are influenced by her real life, it takes some major balls to assume that she can know anything about another author’s life from “a few pages”. How arrogant does someone have to be to claim that they can tell whether or not an author has “painful depths” from a few pages of fiction? It’s insulting to authors who do have “painful depths” but keep them private or don’t wish to express them in their work.

Someone brings it over to the Bullet forum on Amazon and thus begins 7 comment pages of wankery. Needless to say that there are a lot of fans who aren’t thrilled with LKH’s work.

****

LA Times breaks the Mockingjay embargo and posts an early review. The review did its job, though, because now I am interested in buying the book. The review says that

[[Visit blog to check out this spoiler]]

*****

NPR talks about diversity (and lack thereof) in publishing. In tabulating the reviews of the NYTimes, it was noted that of the politically themed books reviewed, 95 percent of US authors reviewed in the publication were white, and 87 percent were male. NPR host, Michel Martin, asked guest Mr. Christopher Lehmann-Haupt, former reviewer and editor of the Times book section and current Editorial Director of Delphinium Books, why this might be:

MARTIN: What do you think about this whole question of the chicken and the egg here? Is it that people of color and women are not writing as many political books? That they have a harder time getting those books published? Or that the review is, the book review is simply isn't choosing those books? What do you think?

Mr. LEHMANN-HAUPT: Well, I think that, again, you have to go a little bit deeper. Publishing has become is going through a real crisis now. The most obvious thing is that the so-called midlist book, the book that isn't going to be a bestseller, isn't being published to the degree that it was, say, in the 1960s, where there was a conscious effort to represent diverse views, races and so forth.

I think it reflects what's being published. Does the book review – I don't know what's being published by smaller presses that might be publishing Latino writers, for example, African-American writers. But the major houses are simply doing less diverse books in every respect because they are aiming for the bestseller list.

*****

The city of Philadelphia is sending it’s residents demands for $300 if they a) have a blog that b) runs ads or is trying to generate any profit. Thanks for the link, Super Librarian, Wendy.

REVIEW: Never After by Laurell K. Hamilton

Guest Reviewer — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:00:39 +0000

Okay. So before I begin reviewing the anthology NEVER AFTER I have two warnings. #1: YE OLDE SPOILERS AHOY. Seriously. I am incapable of talking about stories without-talking about stories. #2: This will be disjointed as hell. There are plenty of reviewers who are capable of smooth, cohesive, intelligent reviews. I am not one of them.

First off, I have a bone to pick with marketing. This anthology (featuring stories by Laurell K. Hamilton, Yasmine Galenorn, Marjorie M. Liu, and Sharon Shinn) is clearly marked on the spine as Urban Fantasy. And yet? Only one out of the four stories has an actual urban fantasy setting. All of the others are traditional fantasies. I mean like trolls, ogres, elves, and magician-type fantasies. MISLEADING.

The tagline on the cover reveals the common thread of all the stories: “All-new tales of magic revealed-’and matrimony refused-’from four of today’s most provocative authors”. Okay, so all the stories feature heroines who are trying to get out of unwanted betrothals. And yet this whole “four of today’s most provocative authors” thing? What do they mean by that? Are they implying these stories are super smexy and feature kink? Because they don’t. In fact, these stories would pretty much be comfortable on the shelf with inspirational romances. Barely any smooching to be found. So what’s so provocative about that? Honestly, out of these 4 authors, only Laurell K. Hamilton probably fits the provocative label, and only then if you mean “writes crazily complicated orgies in her other books”.

1. Can He Bake a Cherry Pie by Laurell K Hamilton

Anyway, on to the actual story critiques. Laurell K. Hamilton leads off the anthology with “Can He Bake a Cherry Pie?”

You guys.

This story is c-c-crazy. At it’s core, it is a pretty basic fairy tale featuring a heroine who wants to escape an unwanted betrothal. In order to do so, she announces that she is going to rescue Prince True -’ a sort of male Sleeping Beauty figure in their kingdom. True was captured by a sorceress 50-odd years ago after being a douche.

Seriously.

Actually, he basically announced that men were waaay more important than women and that women’s work was useless in comparison. That’s it? Why aren’t 75% of the men prisoners in her lair, then? So anyway, the sorceress, in a fit of girl power, challenged him, won, and has kept him prisoner in her lair, forever beautiful and ageless. According to legend only a girl well versed in the womanly arts can free him. All righty then.

So our guileless (and virtually brainless) heroine makes her way to the cave of the sorceress, fully anticipating her own death. But dying in the act of rescue is so much better than marrying an oaf. So whatevs. Heroine makes her way to the rope and board bridge stretching over the chasm leading the cave and is greeted by a rabid troll. She basically squeaks and closes her eyes waiting for the death blow, and BECAUSE SHE IS TOTALLY WEAK AND DOES NOT FIGHT BACK OR EVEN MAKE EYE CONTACT, she passes the first test.

The second test finds her facing an Ogre just inside the mouth of the cave. Said ogre threatens to chop her up into pieces and eat her and heroine agains squeaks in distress and closes her eyes. Because ew. Then the ogre NOTICES HER SHOES. Which are impractical party shoes. Because the heroine left in a hurry, yo. And she likes sparkly things? So the beauty and impracticality of her shoes lets her pass the second test.

The third test is the most bunk-ass sphinx you would ever hope to meet. This sphinx doesn’t even ask questions in the form of obscure riddles. WTF? This sphinx is interested in fabric dying techniques, dessert recipes, and gardening. The heroine’s housekeeping skills enable her to pass. Good thing, too, as she would have been eaten alive.

Ultimately, at the end of this gantlet, the sorceress is met, challenges are posed, and the asstacular Prince True is found. After a bit more craziness, involving -’ you guessed it -’ baking cherry pies, the heroine lives happily ever after.

I just. I mean. What is the message in this story? I know what the message is supposed to be. I.E. Womanly skills (aka cooking, gardening, and housekeeping) are important and have meaning -’ but that is really not what the story shows. The heroine is supremely stupid and wins the day by being cowardly, impractical, and good at trivia. GIRL POWER!

As an added bonus, this story is a mere 35 pages. I think the true miracle here is that I kept reading the anthology after I finished this story. I give this a D-.

2. The Shadow of Mist by Yasmine Galenorn

Next up is Yasmine Galenorn’s “The Shadow of Mist”. First off, kudos for being the lone urban fantasy story in this “urban fantasy anthology”. This novella is set in her “Otherworld” universe, and I have to be honest, I haven’t read any of the other books in the series. To be perfectly frank, plot-wise, this wasn’t a great introduction to it.

Siobhan, the heroine, is a selkie who has been on the run from her fiance for over 100 years. The last few decades, she’s relaxed her guard somewhat, and has found happiness and love in the Pacific Northwest with her boyfriend Mitch. The story opens with her long lost fiance Terry calling her on the phone to helpfully inform her that he knows where she is and is coming for her. Why? Because he will not be denied, yo! This is the equivalent of villain monologueing -’ he has no earthly reason to warn her of his arrival, and without his helpful information she would have been a sitting duck for his kidnapping attempt. Of course, that would have completely eliminated the plot as well.

IMO, this is a lazy plot device that serves no other purpose than to allow the heroine to call in ye olde cast of characters from many previous novels to assist her in her fight against the villain. To her credit, I must say that Galenorn does a great job with said characters. The problem is, I was more intrigued with them than I was with the heroine of the story, who was totally weak and wimpy in comparison. In fact, the heroine spends the entire story having events happen to her, rather than trying to become the master of her fate.

She refuses police assistance because she’s pretty sure her family will still force her to marry Terry. Even though she’s pregnant with Mitch’s baby and knows Terry will totally force her to miscarry if he catches her on her own. Oookay. She is repeatedly almost dragged off with Terry and his henchmen, and is repeatedly rescued by characters from previous books. And then? In the big showdown? (Which is totally not big at all and really sort of anticlimactic.) Siobhan saves the day by complete and total accident. It’s honestly the equivalent of someone tossing something out a high rise window and killing a wanted criminal who just happens to be walking by below.

Deus ex sucksalot.

For all my complaints, I will say that Galenorn succeeded in making me interested in her world and the characters that occupy it. I will most likely be picking up the first book in her Otherworld series, and hoping the plotting goes better in a full length novel. My grade for this story is a C-.

3. The Tangleroot Palace by Marjorie M. Liu

The third story in this anthology is Marjorie M. Liu’s “The Tangleroot Palace“. This was an ethereal, dreamy story with a strong fairy tale feel to it. It was also my favorite of the bunch. Sally, our intrepid heroine, is a princess who is being forced to wed a Warlord from a neighboring kingdom. Their mothers were childhood friends, and though they ended up in different countries, it was their dream that their children would meet and marry someday. But Sally ain’t havin’ it. Even though her father’s kingdom is being tormented on all sides by mercenaries and squabbling lords, Sally wants the right to choose her own destiny. This leads her to the stories titular location -’ the Tangleroot Forest.

A place of magic and legend, the forest draws people in, but rarely lets them out. On her journey to the forest, Sally meets a traveling circus trio whose members are more than meets the eye.

As I mentioned, this was my favorite of all the stories, and although the identity of the hero was easily guessed -’ heck, I wouldn’t even call it a guess, it was blatantly obvious -’ that wasn’t the true point of the story. The secret at the heart of Tanglewood is the true mystery to be solved here. My grade is a A-.

4. The Wrong Bridegroom by Sharon Shinn

Lastly, was the most lengthy of the stories, “The Wrong Bridegroom” by Sharon Shinn. I really wanted to love this story from the get-go. I love 90% of Sharon Shinn’s books, and while I ultimately ended up really liking this story, I found that I had to power through a big chunk of it to get to that point.

Told from the 1st person POV of the heroine, Princess Olivia, the story starts out with a royal challenge to find the person worthy of receiving her hand in marriage. Although there has long been an understanding between her and the oh so perfectly stuffy Sir Harwin Brenley, Olivia would rather die than marry that hugemongous boor. Because she is spoiled and stubborn and young and foolish and petty. And young. Young. YOUNG. So the King, a ruthless and selfish man, has arranged a series of challenges to find the Princess a husband.

I guess it is to Shinn’s credit that she writes the heroine so well. She perfectly encapsulates the spoiled attitude of a 21 year old princess with a horrible, neglectful father, a surprisingly wise stepmother she refuses to listen to, and a lifetime of getting her own way. And because she so perfectly captures her character, I spent 75% of the story wanting to kill Olivia. Or at least bitchslap her.

After a tie occurs between two competitors for her hand, Olivia makes the tie-breaking decision and immediately sets out on a trip with her new betrothed to visit his family. As they journey along at a snail’s pace, in a not-very-princess-like horse and cart, they add unexpected members to their party along the way and start to see people, places, and things that the sheltered Olivia has never experienced before. Not much time passes before Olivia begins questioning what makes a good husband, a good ruler, and a happy life.

Although this heroine was grating and immature (which I think may have been exacerbated by the 1st person narration), when it got good, it got reeeeal good. In fact, it made me miss my stop in the morning, necessitating a 5 block hike to work. For that reason, I have to give this story a solid B+.

So overall, though this anthology was seriously mislabeled, the bulk of the book was entertaining. The Liu story and the Shinn story comprise over 2/3ds of the length, thanks to the super short Hamilton tale. If you are a fan of romantic fantasy with a fairy tale feel, you’ll enjoy this. Weighing the letter grade in terms of story length, I would give this a B-.

LOVE,

NONNIE

This book can be purchased at Amazon or in ebook format from Sony or other etailers.

Tuesday News Roundup:

Jane — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 21:00:34 +0000

For your Tuesday viewing pleasure check out the paper craft work of Su Blackwell who turns books into sculptures. Not to be missed. (Via @sara_lindsey)

Wendy, the Super Librarian, brings up the issue of elitism in romance press coverage and wonders if the coverage of that extreme (Ivy league educated individuals writing and reading romance) can be a bad thing.

I’ll be honest, I really couldn’t get too worked up over any of this. Generally speaking, I found the USA Today article positive, and I do find it interesting that someone with Eloisa James" background turned out to be a very successful romance writer (and I say this only because holy cow, the level of condescension in a lot of university English departments is enough to make my brain bleed :) ). But ultimately I can see why some people were annoyed by it. Because as positive as the article was, it was reporting an extreme. Just as painting all romance readers as uneducated and sexually unfulfilled, who get their rocks off fantasizing about Fabio, is an extreme. But that’s the media. If they can’t turn it into an extreme, it’s not a story. It’s not worth reporting. If it bleeds, it leads.

Katiebabs blogged about LKH’s claim in Entertainment Weekly that LKH pioneered the vampire genre.

EW posted part of the article on their web site. Stephenie Meyer and Anne Rice were both interviewed of course. Laurell K. Hamilton was also interviewed and look what she said about the Twilight phenomenon:

“Stephenie Meyer has come and she’s taken the genre that I sort of pioneered.”
….
Okay, LKH go on believing you pioneered the vampire genre. Can we say, tone down the ego? Where would you be if not for Mary Shelley, Bram Stroker, Anne Rice, Charles De Lint, Stephen King and Poppy Brite?

LKH responded (maybe to Katiebabs and maybe not) that she didn’t pioneer Anne Rice’s genre, but she did pioneer the vampire + sex subgenre. (LKH needs to brush up on her classics then because Bram was all about the sex and the blood and the biting. Ditto for Anne Rice).

Second is what I consider my genre which is mixed genre, a horror thriller/romance, but that doesn’t really say what I write. The closest description of what I consider my genre is Paranormal Thriller. In both the Meredith Gentry books and the Anita Blake novels I take thriller or mystery, mix it with horror and fantasy elements, then add a strong dose of sensuality, romance, and sex. I’ve yet to hear a single word that described it.

…

None of these early books have the sensuality that I chose to put in mine, and to my knowledge none of them would add the sexual content that I’ve become known for in both of my series.

….

Why do I say I pioneered the genre if there were books before? I’ve never said I invented the sub-genre, only that I pioneered it or popularized it.

Agree or disagree with LKH, you have to admit that her posts are highly entertaining.

Looking for an ebook reader? It’s not time to buy one, it’s time to wait. There are the new Sonys coming out, the new Apple Tablet, and now the news of the impending Plastic Logic device that will allow you to purchase books from the Barnes and Noble ebookstore. As an aside, if Forrester research says that the new wave of ebook readers are voracious female readers who are retailer agnostic (aka the romance reader), why don’t these ebook reader manufacturers design something a WOMAN would be interested in buying.

Publishers Weekly claims that Chick Lit is getting an update. I will tell you that I highly enjoyed the pink chick lit books but if this is the grown up version, no thanks. The lede made me throw up in my mouth a bit. I think it’s supposed to reflect a more self aware womanhood but instead reads self indulgent, spoiled, and stupid.

In one telling scene, Karen and Matty are having sex, but he can’t climax. While he masturbates, Karen thinks about a bid they recently put in for a three-bedroom co-op. She imagines Matty’s sperm as "millions of hungry apartment hunters all bidding against each other for a mint 3BR with DFPS, SS appliances, and a WD on a pk blk." If Matty could just put aside his financial anxiety, she muses, "one of those millions of apartment hunters could break out of the throng into the warm waiting floor-through, and find a way to make himself at home."

Thanks for the update and warning PW. I’ll be passing on these. Note to publicists, please don’t send me any books about Park Slope moms. Stories about self indulgent New York women is what made chick lit tired and boring.

Also from PW is an article about sex and vampires (the genre that LKH pioneered). I’m quoted in it. I bet there will be people who disagree with my definition of erotica v. erotic romance but save it for the poll comment thread tomorrow because I’ll be basing the poll on what you think erotic romance is or is not.

And in a study done to debunk the entire scope of Lass Small’s career (not really but she did write about redheads ALL the time in her TEXAS! based books), redheads are more sensitive to pain than other follicly colored folks.

And finally, because commercial developers have their heads up their asses, a single individual has taken it upon himself to develop a free and open source epub editor. Way to go.

REVIEW: Lick of Frost by Laurell K Hamilton

Jane — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:30:49 +0000

Dear Ms. Hamilton:

I specifically requested this book despite the fact that I have not read the Anita series since Obsidian Butterfly. I am somewhat of an apologist for the Merry Gentry series. I actually had to create my own mythology regarding the characters in this series in order for me to continue enjoying the series. My frame is that – Merry Gentry has been picked to be the goddess incarnate to bring life back to the Sidhe. The whys and wherefors haven’t really been worked out in my mind (and I haven’t had alot of help from you on this either), but it is the one way I could get over the Mary Sue-ish issues and enjoy the fantasy aspects.

I think its also important that I began reading the Merry Gentry series at a time that there wasn’t alot of mix between fantasy and romance. You’ve really been a genre leader in some respects.

The star in the Merry Gentry series is the first book, followed closely behind by the second. The next two books began to show some wear in the story and while Lick of Frost has more substantial plot and less reliance on group sex scenes, it still lacks the power and verve of the introductory books in the series.

Merry Gentry and several guards (too many to count at this point) are housed in the residence of former Sidhe goddess and current movie star, Maeve Reed (I always read Maeve Binchy but I doubt she’d like the idea I was placing Binchy in your books although Reed is the wickedly awesome and beautiful movie star in the books and there are far less flattering creatures I could append to the name Maeve). Maeve has gone off to Ireland on an extended vacation while Merry and her band of men make free with the estate. Despite the fact that Merry has dozens of men, they are all holed up in a tiny cottage, sleeping sometimes many to a room. If the men are as you describe them, I can only imagine the state of that tiny little house.

The story opens with Merry and Doyle and Frost in a conference room to discuss the allegations of rape against three of Merry’s men: Rhys, Galen, and Abe. While it is pointedly clear that Merry and her followers are there simply as a courtesy since they have diplomatic immunity, the scene goes on and on for no other reason but to set up the basic plot conflict and that is Taranis, the King of the Seelie Sidhe, is using his powerful glamour to induce Merry to come to his side. He is desperate to have a child and believes Merry, with her fertility lineage, will bring him what he needs for if King Taranis is infertile, it means infertility to all the Seelie Sidhe.

As a plot, this is a compelling storyline and provides ample reason for some of the Seelie Sidhe to align themselves with Merry (the need for procreation is apparently universal) despite their disdian for Merry’s half human blood which continues to be a barrier between acceptance and rejection for other Seelie Sidhe.

Ultimately the problem is that most of the story is tell and no show. Merry and her followers engage in several conversations with each other to debate the purpose of King Taranis misuse of his power. It is through these “As you know, Bob” conversations, that we readers find out more about the world and the internal conflicts between the Sidhe and the political ramifications of a future with King Taranis.

There is little to be learned that the reader doesn’t already know unless the reader is a new one. But for new readers, the past relationships are so complex that I suspect one would be lost within a few pages despite the amount of info dumping that occurs to bring everyone up to speed.

Further, this book goes almost nowhere. For example, a quarter of the book (first 7 chapters) are essentially the scene in the conference room with one entire chapter where Merry goes all Ayn Rand on us and tries to teach us how those who don’t believe in free sex, sex several times a day with several parties, are narrowed minded humans.

The story stalled in alot of parts as there was little action until the last couple of chapters. I know that in the past I haven’t loved the books, but I’ve always found them readable. This one, though, was a struggle to finish. In some ways, though, I am glad to have read it. There is sufficient resolution in this story for the Frost and Doyle fans, fans who are wondering about Merry’s pregnancy and so forth, to read this entry in the series and not need to go forward. C-

Best regards,

Jane

This book can be purchased in hardcover or ebook format.

NYT Bestelling Author, Laurell K Hamilton, Has Officially Lost Her Mind

Jane — Wed, 16 May 2007 01:43:01 +0000

Apparently, Ballantine and Penguin aren’t doing a good enough job with their publicity efforts on Laurell K Hamilton’s behalf. LKH’s assistant, Darla, purportedly posted the following two pictures on MySpace:

I don’t even need to explain how terrible (and wonderful) these are. I pondered many a title for this post:

Bam Ruins Anita Blake and Merry Gentry for All Time. (she emailed the dang thing to me).
The Number One Marketing Tip for Authors, Both New and Established
When Mary Sue Goes Wild

Let’s give thanks to Flo_over at Livejournal who saved these pictures for all time.

New Potential Author Disease Noted. Treatment Being Researched.

Jane — Sun, 07 Jan 2007 03:10:34 +0000

This, of course, is in the vein of the “news” at the Onion. K. Greer has noted that there is a new disease that seems to be infecting bestselling authors who primarily write sexual brooding vampires. If you are an author with such a character or know of an author with such a character, you may want to pay close attention to the research on RHD (Rice-Hamilton Disorder).

REVIEW: Mistral’s Kiss by Laurell K Hamilton

Jane — Tue, 19 Dec 2006 09:00:25 +0000

Dear Ms. Hamilton:

Other than really funny (albeit unintentionally so) excerpts from your blog, I haven’t read anything by you in a year. Unlike other readers who can’t quit you, I have weaned myself off the Anita series. I haven’t read the last two books. This is quite an accomplishment for me. Unfortunately, despite my desire to free myself from your clutches entirely particularly given that the Merry Gentry series is now expanded to 15 books and not the original 8, I am still a helpless fly on your terrible, sperm covered web which is why in a weak ebook shopping moment, I bought Mistral’s Kiss in ebook format. damn that one click shopping anyway.

This book has no plot and consists of four episodes or scenes, three of which are sex scenes. I read that you couldn’t figure out what genre you were writing in. It’s erotica. E-R-O-T-I-C-A. It’s not, as you put it, “more like hard-boiled mysteries, or horror novels in tone of writing, but the romance and the magic … there, too.” Say it with me, erotica. See, a mystery requires some sleuthing. Horror novels generally aren’t filled with everyone’s spunk everywhere. Romance really doesn’t come into play when the main character is having public sex with all of her hot bodyguards standing around. There is lots of magic because I can’t quite figure out how Merry can walk after her continuous bouts of sex.

Because there is no plot, the book is short, and the entirety of the story takes place over less than a day, I hardly know what to write as a synopsis. Let’s see the timeline goes as follows: Merry wakes up in bed with some of her men. Another lost artifact appears. Gives all of her people more power. Aunt Andais is not happy, but like all of the evils in your books, she’s emasculated (I think this is a masculine adjective, but don’t know what the feminine counterpart is). Andais lets Merry do everything that Merry wants. Merry goes on to have sex with Abeloec, Mistral, and one other character. There is a run in with Sholto. Something paranormal ensues. It’s easily resolved. Everyone is happy.

This “book” (and I use that term loosely and defined as words bound and sold with a cover from a NY publisher) is nothing more than a series of scenes. It cannot work as a stand alone novel. It has virtually no relation to the previous book (i.e., what happened with the accusation against Rhys of raping the Seelie woman? Or the ball that Taranis is holding? or anything). It has no resolution. No crescendo and denouement unless we can count each orgasm as a mini story. It’s short. My Silhouette Nocture ebooks had about the same length as Mistral’s Kiss ebook.

The saving grace is that there are tender moments between Frost and Merry and Doyle and Merry which almost makes it worthwhile. What am I saying? Of course, paying $17.95 for this pap isn’t worthwhile unless the reader is a sick addict. I don’t really have any confidence that you won’t totally ruin Doyle’s character as you have Jean Claude and Richard and kind of Frost. I’m putting in a spoiler here just in case others have been successful in the LKH 12 step recovery program. Merry admits that she loves Doyle and that she wants him to be king.. I don’t really know how to grade this book. I read it one sitting, but it lacks any elements of a real story. The sex isn’t really that good. I just am so invested in the original series with Doyle, Frost and Merry, that any tiny scrap makes me happy. Sick. I am sick. I need help. I guess its a D.

Best regards,

Jane

Laurell K Hamilton Promises to Kill Merry Gentry Series Too

Jane — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 14:59:57 +0000

Okay, not the character, but the series. According to a transcript provided by author, E.E. Knight, Laurell K Hamilton said at Archcon:

LKH: “Gave myself enough toys” * (guns mythology folklore) and let “series go in a direction I didn't forsee” * Meredith Gentry series is looking to be 15 books too.

The loud moans and wails? That’s me. I had given up on Anita but I still liked Merry Gentry. I accepted from the beginning that this was an erotic fantasy series with Merry Gentry as the reincarnated (or at least vessel for) the goddess. But this was planned as an 8 book series with Merry getting pregnant, choosing a consort and coming to a conclusion. With this announcement, I think I am done for.